Here’s How to Make the Online Liberal Studies Degree Requirements Work For You
When Jazmin Worthey transferred to Portland State University three years ago, she didn’t know there was such a thing as a liberal studies degree.
“I was supposed to major in communications,” she says. “But I changed my mind a lot and wasn’t sure where I fit in. I thought about studying sociology, or maybe criminal justice. I went back and forth.”
Worthey felt she was spinning her wheels, accumulating credits that didn’t add up to anything. Then she talked to Jon Rousseau about the Flexible Requirements in the Liberal Studies Major. Clarity quickly ensued.
“Jon showed me how I could apply my existing credits toward the liberal studies degree,” says Worthey. “He broke down exactly how to satisfy every requirement for the major, how I could finish the degree and graduate on time. I asked for his help many times, and he always kept me on track.”
Rousseau, an academic advisor in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, says he meets a lot of students like Worthey.
“They’re not sure what to major in, so they take courses in a lot of different departments,” he says. “Or they’re returning to college after taking some time off, and they have a complicated transcript with credits from all over the place. They may already have met a lot of the requirements for the liberal studies degree with their existing credits. But they don’t realize it because they don’t know what a liberal studies degree is.”
Once she discovered liberal studies, Jazmin Worthey never looked back. She completed her liberal studies degree with an academic emphasis in conflict resolution, taking most of her courses online from her home in Eugene. She graduated in June 2017 and now plans to pursue a career in child welfare.
“I feel lucky that I was able to take an indirect path,” she says. “I needed time to figure it out.” Explore PSU's Liberal Studies Degree >>